Wisconsin has no law that addresses sexting, so police and prosecutors can use child pornography statutes that can create some unintended results.

"The person who took picture could also be charged for possession of child pornography and then they sent it to somebody, they could be charged with possession of child pornography, and if they sent it to anybody, it could just go on and on and on," Tweedie said.

Those consequences have some states are dialing back penalties for teen sexters.

New Jersey lets first-time offenders avoid prosecution if they complete an education program.

New Hampshire won't prosecute an unwitting recipient of a sext if the teen reports it, and South Carolina is now considering limiting penalties to kids who forward sext messages without permission.

"Nobody has ever had an adolescence that is completely without moments of awkwardness, or mistakes," UWM sociology Professor Cary Costello said.

Costello said the law here fails to target the real problem.

"Extortion and stealing somebody else's images and exposing somebody without their consent, those are the inappropriate behaviors," Costello said.

Costello sees teen sexting as a digital age version of spin the bottle or truth or dare.

"They are expected to do that socially, and they can't just sort of magically mature without stumbling around and trying," Costello said.

The UW-Milwaukee students have some advice for anxious parents -- have common-sense conversations with your kids about actions and consequences.

WISN 12 News contacted the state Legislative Reference Bureau and learned that, as of yet, no one has introduced legislation to address teen sexting. Prosecutors have discretion in handling these cases. In many instances, kids may be ticketed, or if charged, those charges will expunged if kids stay out of trouble.

There have been cases where teens have been charged with felonies in cases involving deception or extortion, and offenders can end up being named on the state's sex offender registry.

RESEARCH SHOWS ONE IN FIVE TEENS ARE DOING IT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SEXTING - THE SENDING OF SEXUALLY EXPLICIT EMAIL OR TEXT MESSAGES. TONIGHT, 12 NEWS COLLEEN HENRY INVESTIGATES -- THE PROBLEM FACING PARENTS, POLICE AND PROSECUTORS: WHAT TO DO WITH KIDS CAUGHT IN THE ACT. IT'S A DIGITAL WORLD, WHICH CAN CHANGE AS QUICK AS THE CLICK OF A CAMERA. EMMA - 15:36:50 I DO THINK IT HAS DESENSITIZED US TO WHAT WE PUT OUT THERE 53 WE SHARE EVERYTHING ELSE, WHY NOT SHARE A PICTURE OF US 58 UWM'S SOCIOLOGY OF SEXUALITY CLASS IS A HOTBED OF CONTENT AND CONVERSATION HISTORICALLY CONSIDERED TABOO. AMANDA - 15:42:13 FOR ME, SEXTING, IT'S NOT EVEN TABOO ANY MORE 16 THE STUDENTS DON'T CONDONE IT, BUT SAY SEXTING HAS BECOME A MAINSTAY OF SOCIAL INTERACTION. GIRLS DO IT FOR ATTENTION... EMMA - 15:44:17 IT'S VERY CONFUSING ESPECIALLY AT A YOUNGER AGE WHEN ALL THE GIRLS ARE GETTING ATTENTION THAT ARE DOING THIS 22 FOR GUYS, IT'S STATUS. MAGGIE - 15:41:34 WITH THEIR FRIENDS AT LEAST THEY'RE LIKE "LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME, I'M THIS GUY WHO'S GETTING A LOT OF PICTURES" 37 THEY'VE ALL BEEN ASKED. EMMA AND AMANDA - 15:42:46 THEY'LL SAY SEND ME A SEXY PIC... IT'S JUST FOR ME 51 IT'S JUST FOR ME 52 BUT WHEN THE KIDS IN THE PICTURES ARE UNDER AGE...THE LAW MAY SEE THOSE SO-CALLED SEXY PICS AS CHILD PORNOGRAPHY...AND THE KIDS WHO TAKE AND SHARE THEM...CHILD PORNOGRAPHERS. SEXTING KIDS HAVE MADE HEADLINES ALL ACROSS THE MILWAUKEE AREA... FROM FRANKLIN... COLLEEN, THE ALLEGATIONS INVOLVE GIRLS AS YOUNG AS 12 TO WAUKESHA... INVESTIGATORS THINK THE PICTURE COULD HAVE ENDED UP ON AT LEAST 150 CELL PHONES. ...TO BROWN DEER... EACH SHARED THOSE PHOTOS WITH CLASSMATES VIA TEXT AND FACEBOOK DESPITE THE HIGHLY PUBLICIZED SEXTING INVESTIGATIONS...KIDS CONTINUE TO SWAP SKIN ONLINE. GREENFIELD DETECTIVE DOUG TWEEDIE INVESTIGATES SEX CRIMES...INCLUDING UNDERAGE SEXTING... EVEN IF YOUR PARENTS HAVE BLOCKED YOUR PHONE TO SEND OR RECEIVE PICTURES, YOU N STILL TAKPICTURES ON YOUR PHONE AND ND THEM? ANSD EM VIA KICK10 KIDAVOID PARENTAL ADBLOC WITH PLICATIONS LIKE KICK AND AHAT,HH REQUIRE ST WIRELESS SIGNAL ARE PICTURES AND VIDEO... U'RE BYPASSING THE SYSTEM IRONICALLY, IF CAUGHT SEXTING, KIDS FACE CRIMINAL PENALTIES ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO PROTECT THEM FROM DANGEROUS ADULTS. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY NECESSARILY WANTS TO MAKE A 13-YEAR-OLD A FELON WISCONSIN HAS NO LAW THAT ADDRESSES SEXTING, SO POLICE AND PROSECUTORS HERE CAN USE CHILD PORNOGRAPHY STATUTES...THAT CAN CREATE SOME UNINTENDED RESULTS. THE PERSON WHO TOOK PICTURE COULD ALSO BE CHARGED FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND THEN THEY SENT IT TO SOMEBODY, THEY COULD BE CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND IF THEY SENT IT TO ANYBODY, IT COULD JUST GO ON AND ON AND ON 10 THOSE CONSEQUENCES HAVE SOME STATES ARE DIALING BACK PENALTIES FOR TEEN SEXTERS...NEW JERSEY LETS FIRST-TIME OFFENDERS AVOID PROSECUTION IF THEY COMPLETE AN EDUCATION PROGRAM. NEW HAMPSHIRE WON'T PROSECUTE AN UNWITTING RECIPIENT OF A SEXT IF THE TEEN REPORTS IT, AND SOUTH CAROLINA IS NOW CONSIDERING LIMITING PENALTIES TO KIDS WHO FORWARD SEXT MESSAGES WITHOUT PERMISSION. NOBODY HAS EVER HAD AN ADOLESCENCE THAT IS COMPLETELY WITHOUT MOMENTS OF AWKWARDNESS, OR MISTAKES 27 BACK AT UWM, THE SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR .SAYS THE LAW HERE FAILS TO TARGET THE REAL PROBLEM.. EXTORTION AND STEALING SOMEBODY ELSE'S IMAGES AND EXPOSING SOMEBODY WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT 16:29:08 THOSE ARE THE INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIORS 10 CARY COSTELLO SEES TEEN SEXTING AS A DIGITAL AGE VERSION OF SPIN THE BOTTLE OR TRUTH OR DARE. THEY ARE EXPECTED TO DO THAT SOCIALLY AND THEY CAN'T JUST SORT OF MAGICALLY MATURE WITHOUT STUMBLING AROUND AND TRYING 52 THE UWM STUDENTS HAVE SOME ADVICE FOR ANXIOUS PARENTS...HAVE COMMON- SENSE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR KIDS...ABOUT ACTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES. 12 NEWS CONTACTED THE STATE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU AND LEARNED THAT, AS YET, NO ONE HAS INTRODUCED LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS TEEN SEXTING. PROSECUTORS HAVE DISCRETION IN HANDLING THESE CASES. IN MANY INSTANCES, KIDS MAY BE TICKETED-- OR IF CHARGED -- THOSE CHARGES WILL EXPUNGED IF KIDS STAY OUT OF TROUBLE. COLLEEN, THERE HAVE BEEN CASES WHERE TEENS HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH FELONIES. YES, THOSE ARE CASES INVOLVING DECEPTION OR EXTORTION...AND OFFENDERS CAN END UP BEING NAMED ON THE STATE'S SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY. COLLEEN, THANKS FOR LOOKING INTO